How Long Does It Take to Dye Your Hair at Home? [Guide for Men]

It takes years or even decades for gray hairs to start sprouting. That can be frustrating, but there’s a silver lining (no pun intended)--you can dye your hair back to its natural color in less time than it takes you to eat lunch.

Whether you’re on the fence about dyeing your hair or you’re all in, it’s normal to wonder how long the process takes. You don’t want to waste your entire morning in front of the mirror, fumbling with stuff you have no clue how to use. And we’re going to guess you don’t want to sit through a lengthy salon appointment that puts a dent in your bank account.

In this article, we’ll break down the hair dyeing process step by step to show you exactly how long it takes, and what you can expect along the way.

How Long Does It Take to Dye Your Hair at Home?

For guys, it only takes 15-20 minutes to dye your hair at home with a brush-in application kit. That timeframe can vary depending on how much hair you have and how much gray you want to cover. But rest assured you’ll complete the whole process in 20 minutes or less.

Not convinced? Let’s break down how much time each step takes with a custom Cleverman hair dye kit.

Prep: 1 minute

Before dyeing your hair, you’ll put on a pair of gloves and apply barrier cream around your hairline to reduce the possibility of staining.

Mix: 2 minutes

To create the product you put in your hair, you’ll mix two liquids:

• A developer to open up your hair shaft 
• A colorant to coat the outside of your hair shaft

Shake them thoroughly together to mix.

Apply: 10-15 minutes 

This is when the action starts. You’ll start by dispensing the dye into a tray, then use the applicator tool to apply it anywhere you want to eliminate grays, such as your temples, sideburns, or roots.

Once you get your desired coverage, leave the hair color on for your customized exposure time (5-10 minutes).

The specifics of the process can vary depending on your goals. Some guys prefer the “salt and pepper look” while others want to eliminate every last gray hair on their heads. Either way, Cleverman gives you a custom kit with the exact products and instructions you need to get your desired look.

Clean: 2 minutes

To wrap up the process, rinse the product out of your hair and massage your scalp to remove any residue until the water runs clear. Lastly, wash your hair with your custom shampoo/conditioner, leave it in for two minutes, and rinse one last time.

That’s it—all done in 20 minutes or less!

Dyeing Your Hair at Home vs. Dyeing Your Hair at a Salon

Dyeing your hair at home is almost always faster and more affordable than going to a salon, especially if your goal is to get rid of grays. 

An appointment with a professional colorist can run you anywhere from $50 to $200 and take an hour or longer to complete. Salon treatments may be ideal if you want to permanently dye your hair. But if you simply want to conceal your grays or quickly touch up a small area, dyeing your hair at home is the way to go.

There’s a catch though—not all at-home hair dye kits are created equally.

The most important part of dyeing your hair at home is matching your precise hair color. When you buy a hair dye kit off the shelf at a supermarket, you’re forced to buy a product that doesn’t exactly match your true hair color and texture, leading to results that look unnatural and cheap. Think of it like covering a scratch on your car with a magic marker instead of professional paint.

That’s where Cleverman comes in.

Every Cleverman hair dye kit is informed by a comprehensive questionnaire that accounts for the shade, level of gray, texture, and condition of your hair. This ensures results that are virtually indistinguishable from your “real” hair color. With more than 10,000 potential color combinations, we have you covered (literally).

Nix Those Grays In a Matter of Minutes

Every guy deserves to look their best. But you shouldn’t have to spend hours in the bathroom every day to get there. Our mission at Cleverman is to make it as convenient as possible for men to get custom, professional-quality hair dye.

Try it for yourself to eliminate those grays and reclaim your hair’s natural color in a matter of minutes. It all starts with this quick quiz to find your color.